Charter School Says It Will Not Recite The Pledge Of Allegiance

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS Local) – An Atlanta charter school is sparking controversy over its decision to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School announced on Aug. 7 that students will no longer stand and participate in the morning pledge. Elementary campus president Lara Zelski claims the decision was made after noting a divide in the local community over the classroom staple.

“Over the past couple of years it has become increasingly obvious that more and more of our community were choosing to not stand and/or recite the pledge,” Zelski’s said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Georgia school says students will be given a chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance at a different point in the school day.

“Teachers and the K-5 leadership team will be working with students to create a school pledge that we can say together at morning meeting,” Zelski added. The new chant at the charter school will reportedly focus on “school family, community, country, and our global society.”

Some on social media have taken issue with the polarizing decision, which the campus president claims was meant to promote a “fully inclusive and connected community.”